IFR in the Eastern Mountains

I misunderstood you earlier (my bad). You're talking about VFR (Day VFR
I hope ;-)

Yes, you could fly VFR at 7,000 over southern WY although the altiude
would get a bit skinny in places.

vincent p. norris wrote:
Could you please provide the routing for 8000 from PA to AK and for 6000

from VA to AK.

From PA, west to the Rockies. Rock Springs, Wyoming, airport, just
slightly above 7,000 msl, was the highest along our route, but the
terrain is flat. In mountainous terrain we followed Interstates or
major highways; they are built through low, wide, valleys. And they
provide a place to land if necessary.

Next stop Helena, Montana. Then to Lethbridge, Red Deer, Grande
Prairie, and Dawson Creek, Alberta, where the Alaka Highway begins.
From there to Fairbanks, Alaska. The highest point on the AK Highway
is slightly above 4,000 msl.

For different scenery on one trip we went farther west to Spokane,
then north up the Okanogan Valley to Kamloops, St. George and
Smithers, B.C., then up the Cassier Highway to Watson Lake. From there
we followed the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, then we turned north to
Dawson City, Yukon. From there to Fairbanks. Then down to Talkeetna
and Anchorage.

The scenery, btw, even more spectacular along the Cassiar Highway than
along the Alaska Highway.

I might be mistaken, but I don't believe we had to get above 8,000 on
that trip, either. I can assure you we didn't have to "top any 14,000
foot peaks." Two of us, neither of us midgets, and the required
survival gear put us near gross in a PA28-161 Warrior. We couldn't
possibly have got to 14,000 msl.

vince norris

: Could you please provide the routing for 8000 from PA to AK and for 6000
: from VA to AK.

: You are providing a specific without providing the details.

Follow the great circle route about 2000 nm from BCB (VA) until you get to the start of the Alaska highway at Dawson
Creek, BC. Follow the Alaska highway within 2 nm laterally, and 1000' AGL. After about 400nm, you'll reach the highest point
(Summit Lake, BC IIRC). That'll put you at 1000' AGL, 6000' MSL and as high as you need to get for the rest of the trip.

-Cory

--

************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************

: For different scenery on one trip we went farther west to Spokane,
: then north up the Okanogan Valley to Kamloops, St. George and
: Smithers, B.C., then up the Cassier Highway to Watson Lake. From there
: we followed the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse, then we turned north to
: Dawson City, Yukon. From there to Fairbanks. Then down to Talkeetna
: and Anchorage.

: The scenery, btw, even more spectacular along the Cassiar Highway than
: along the Alaska Highway.

: I might be mistaken, but I don't believe we had to get above 8,000 on
: that trip, either. I can assure you we didn't have to "top any 14,000
: foot peaks." Two of us, neither of us midgets, and the required
: survival gear put us near gross in a PA28-161 Warrior. We couldn't
: possibly have got to 14,000 msl.

Sounds pretty much like our trip in our PA28-180. Only 2 of us (neither small), and enough survival gear and camping
equipment for some hiking in Juneau while we were there. We kept it under gross at full fuel, but not by much. DA's (even in the
plains) in the summer make 300fpm up to about 6000' MSL all we could do. We thought about the Cassiar on the way back, but were
under a bit of a time crunch.

-Cory

--

************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************

On Sat, 04 Nov 2006 18:10:38 -0800, Sam Spade
wrote:

I misunderstood you earlier (my bad). You're talking about VFR (Day VFR
I hope ;-)

Oh, absolutely! A group of four airplanes went on those two trips,
and I was the only guy (out of seven pilots) with an instrument
rating. Besides, we wanted to see the scenery.

As an aside, one other guy had been flying since 1946; he actually
soloed a J-3 about six months before I did); and one other had flown
almost that long, but neither ever got ifr ratings. I don't
understand why some pilots are reluctant to get one.

Yes, you could fly VFR at 7,000 over southern WY although the altiude
would get a bit skinny in places.

I hope I said, meant to say, that we didn't have to get over 8,000.
Seven would be a bit below ground level at Rock Springs.

vince norris

On Sun, 5 Nov 2006 03:16:09 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:

Follow the great circle route about 2000 nm from BCB (VA) until you get to the start of the Alaska highway at Dawson
Creek, BC.

It was up to me as the most experienced cross-country pilot to plot
our routes to Alaska. I began by plotting a great circle as above,
but immediately rejected it. It would have taken us right smack over
the middle of Lake Superior, far too big a body of water to fly over;
and then we'd have had a long ride over completely uninteresting (and
inhospitable) terrain.

So we went west to Helena or Spokane before heading toward Dawson
Creek. We had interesting stops at the Amana Villages in Iowa; Wall,
S.D. (home of the infamous Wall Drug Store); Mt. Rushmore; and Helena,
a great place to visit.

vince norris

: Follow the great circle route about 2000 nm from BCB (VA) until you get to the start of the Alaska highway at Dawson
: Creek, BC.

: It was up to me as the most experienced cross-country pilot to plot
: our routes to Alaska. I began by plotting a great circle as above,
: but immediately rejected it. It would have taken us right smack over
: the middle of Lake Superior, far too big a body of water to fly over;
: and then we'd have had a long ride over completely uninteresting (and
: inhospitable) terrain.

: So we went west to Helena or Spokane before heading toward Dawson
: Creek. We had interesting stops at the Amana Villages in Iowa; Wall,
: S.D. (home of the infamous Wall Drug Store); Mt. Rushmore; and Helena,
: a great place to visit.

Well, I wasn't *completely* honest in my description, either. Truth be told,
we only went as far as Milwaukee the first day since I've got family there. I've done
that route many times, and the great circle takes you over Lake Michigan a fair ways.
I generally fly lakeshore by Chicago on that route... probably only about 20 miles out
of the way anyway.

After Milwaukee it was great circle to Dawson Creek. I found it somewhat
aggravating to try to plot the course enough to even find out what charts to buy. One
cannot simply "draw a straight line" on a big chart. I ended up using a "great circle
mapper" online to get some airports and lat/longs to determine which charts to go
with.

Fun trip... thinking about doing it again this upcoming summer with my
brother.

-Cory

--

************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************

wrote:


After Milwaukee it was great circle to Dawson Creek. I found it somewhat
aggravating to try to plot the course enough to even find out what charts to buy. One
cannot simply "draw a straight line" on a big chart. I ended up using a "great circle
mapper" online to get some airports and lat/longs to determine which charts to go
with.

Fun trip... thinking about doing it again this upcoming summer with my
brother.

-Cory


I use Delorme's XMAP, which will correctly plot the great circle. I
don't have Canadian topo data, though (although it does show Dawson
Creek sufficiently to anchor the great circle). I am curious about how
that great circle avoids the Canadian Rockies.

: I use Delorme's XMAP, which will correctly plot the great circle. I
: don't have Canadian topo data, though (although it does show Dawson
: Creek sufficiently to anchor the great circle). I am curious about how
: that great circle avoids the Canadian Rockies.

Great circle from Milwaukee to Dawson Creek doesn't start to get into the
rockies until then. In fact, prior to about Whitecourt, it's pretty much plains. By
then it starts to get forrested and gets into the foothills.

-Cory

--

************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************

After Milwaukee it was great circle to Dawson Creek. I found it somewhat
aggravating to try to plot the course enough to even find out what charts to buy. One
cannot simply "draw a straight line" on a big chart.

The easiest and quickest way to find a great circle is to stretch a
piece of thread between the two points on a globe. I "snap" the
thread a couple of times to overcome friction, and of course the
larger the globe, the more accurate the plot.

If you don't own a globe, the nearest library probably has one.

vince norris

The easiest and quickest way to find a great circle is to stretch a
piece of thread between the two points on a globe. I "snap" the
thread a couple of times to overcome friction, and of course the
larger the globe, the more accurate the plot.

Or just make a route in a GPS and look at appropriate points at the
edge of a map. You can get a quickie feel by planning a route on
airnav.com

Ron Lee